October break, Part 2...

On our way back from the coast, we made a detour into the Taita Conservancy and then Tsavo West National Park. For one night we stayed at the Sarova Salt Lick Lodge and were amazed by the dozens and dozens of elephants coming right up to the hotel to drink from a water reservoir. It was magical and we were able to observe so many interesting elephant behaviours. Buffalo were also keen to drink from the pool, and a mama lion and her cubs made an appearance early in the morning. The lodge was fantastic. While driving through Tsavo West National Park, the landscapes were stunning and we saw several shy lesser kudu (a type of antelope we haven't seen up to this point).

October Break, Part 1...

We spent some glorious days on the coast of Kenya to relax during our October break this year. Our good friends Mike and Ronnie invited us down to their place in Kilifi and we enjoyed the sun, sea, wind, sea turtles and lots of hammock time, the perfect way to kick off our break. We also went on a dhow excursion on Kilifi creek, into the mangrove forests, and saw a lovely variety of birds. The highlight was seeing up to 5,000 carmine bee eaters soar in the skies and then zoom in to roost on "bird island" - that was amazing.

Cora's Gold President's Award!

For two years, Cora worked diligently on fulfilling all of the requirements of the President's Gold Award. This award is known in some places as the Duke of Edinburgh's Award and it's a prestigious award that involves adventure tasks/outings, service projects, club participation, language training and much more. When a student achieves the gold level of this award, it is presented by the President of that country (or the Duke of Edinburgh in the UK). A few weeks ago, I was able to go to State House here in Kenya to accept Cora's award, as well as an award for her dear friend Adele. I was supposed to receive the awards directly from President Uhuru Kenyatta in a formal ceremony. Hundreds of people were in attendance and, when it came time to line up to accept the awards, there was a massive mosh pit of people and I couldn't hear the woman trying to line up delegates; therefore, I missed my window to walk the red carpet and shake the President's hand (maybe a good thing). Later, I was supposed to be in a group photo with several winners/schools but I missed that, too, because an even bigger mosh pit of people were crowding the photo area and eventually all photos were cancelled. It was chaos and it was so interesting to be a part of it! Thank goodness I was able to get the girls' certificates before leaving State House and all I have, as proof of my attendance that day, are the photos below (taken at home). So, congratulations Cora and Adele for all of your hard work!!  :)

Shangilia Visit & Concert

The Shangilia Children's Centre in Nairobi is a very special place where rescued street children live, go to school, and learn the performing arts as a way to process and deal with trauma. The children are amazing musicians, actors, dancers and acrobats and a team of 50 kids came to ISK on Thursday, October 15th to perform. The event was organized by the Global Issues Network Club and we've been partnering with Shangilia for about three years. Every other Wednesday a team of GIN students visits Shangilia to run workshops in music, reading, drama and art. It's an amazing partnership.